Hobbies
Collecting
Pursuits where the point is the set: what it contains, and what it is missing.
Geocaching
HobbyUsing GPS coordinates to find containers hidden by other people, in places you would never otherwise stop.
Free or near-free to startOutdoorsModerate effort
Metal detecting
HobbySearching ground with a detector for coins, artefacts and history — under a legal framework that matters.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
Antique collecting
HobbyBuying, researching and living with old objects — furniture, ceramics, silver, clocks and glass.
£100–£300 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
Also in this category
Classified but not yet written up.
117 activities in the catalogue, 3 written up so far.
78rpm record collecting
HobbyCollecting shellac discs and the equipment to play them, a separate world from vinyl in every respect.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Advertising tin collecting
HobbyCollecting printed tins, which are commercial art history in three dimensions.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Aircraft spotting
HobbyRecording aircraft by registration and type, with a fieldcraft and a literature of its own.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Antique bottle collecting
HobbyCollecting glass and stoneware bottles by maker, closure and colour, often dug rather than bought.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Antique clock collecting
HobbyCollecting longcase, bracket and carriage clocks, where movement, case and dial each date separately.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Antique sampler collecting
HobbyCollecting worked needlework samplers, most of them signed and dated by the girl who stitched them.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Antique silver collecting
HobbyCollecting hallmarked silver, where the marks give maker, town and year with unusual precision.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Antique tool collecting
HobbyCollecting pre-industrial and early machine-age hand tools, usually to use rather than display.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Art glass collecting
HobbyCollecting decorative glass by factory and designer — Whitefriars, Murano, Scandinavian mid-century.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Autograph collecting
HobbyCollecting signatures and signed material, where authentication is most of the skill.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Banknote collecting
HobbyCollecting paper money for its design, printing, history and security features.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Beachcombing
HobbyWalking the tideline for sea glass, shells, driftwood and whatever else lands.
Free or near-free to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Board game collecting
HobbyCollecting published games as objects — editions, printings and out-of-print runs rather than plays.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Book collecting
HobbyCollecting books as objects — first editions, bindings, printings and provenance.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bookplate collecting
HobbyCollecting ex libris bookplates as small printed artworks with a traceable ownership history.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bottle digging
HobbyExcavating Victorian household tips for glass and stoneware bottles, with landowner permission.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Breweriana collecting
HobbyCollecting brewery advertising, pump clips, bottles and beer mats, often around one defunct brewery.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Bus and coach enthusiasm
HobbyRecording, photographing and preserving buses, with a substantial preservation movement behind it.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Button collecting
HobbyCollecting buttons for material, manufacture and design history.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Cassette collecting
HobbyCollecting tapes and the machines that play them, revived by a small but real scene.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Cigarette card collecting
HobbyCollecting the illustrated card sets issued with tobacco from the 1880s to the 1940s.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Clay pipe collecting
HobbyCollecting the fragments of clay tobacco pipes, datable to within a few decades.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Coin collecting
HobbyCollecting coins by period, mint, metal or error, and learning to grade them.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Coin research
HobbyStudying coinage as economic and political evidence rather than as a collection.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Comic book collecting
HobbyCollecting comics by run, key issue, variant or grade.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Corkscrew collecting
HobbyCollecting patent corkscrews, a field of several thousand recorded mechanisms and its own societies.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Costume jewellery collecting
HobbyCollecting non-precious jewellery by maker and period, where signatures and construction date a piece.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
County topping
SportHobbyReaching the highest point of every county, which takes you to hills nobody else visits.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Dartmoor letterboxing
HobbyThe original letterboxing tradition on Dartmoor, with hand-cut stamps and a long-standing code.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Die-cast model collecting
HobbyCollecting die-cast vehicles by maker, scale and variation.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Doll collecting
HobbyCollecting dolls by maker, material and period, from bisque heads to twentieth-century fashion dolls.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Enamel sign collecting
HobbyCollecting vitreous enamel advertising signs, heavy and increasingly valuable.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Entomology
HobbyStudying, recording and sometimes collecting insects, under strict ethical limits.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Ephemera collecting
HobbyCollecting printed matter never meant to survive — tickets, handbills, packaging, timetables.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Film and TV memorabilia collecting
HobbyCollecting props, scripts and production material, a field where provenance is the entire subject.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Film poster collecting
HobbyCollecting original release posters, and learning to spot reprints.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Flag study
HobbyStudying and collecting flags, their design rules and their history.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Fossil hunting
HobbySearching coast and quarry for fossils, and learning what you have found.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Fossil preparation
HobbyCraftCleaning and stabilising fossils out of their matrix, a patient specialist craft.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Fountain pen collecting
HobbyCollecting, restoring and using fountain pens, nibs and inks.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Fountain pen restoration
CraftHobbyRepairing vintage pens — sac replacement, nib adjustment and filling systems — rather than collecting them.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Globe collecting
HobbyCollecting terrestrial and celestial globes, datable by the borders and the places not yet on them.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Gold panning
HobbyPanning rivers for placer gold, legal only with permission and in specific places.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Gramophone collecting
HobbyCollecting acoustic gramophones and phonographs, played with steel needles and no electricity at all.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Horse brass collecting
HobbyCollecting decorative harness brasses, a rural craft tradition in miniature.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Kitchenalia collecting
HobbyCollecting domestic kitchen equipment — jelly moulds, scales, enamelware — as a history of how people cooked.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
LEGO building
HobbyBuilding sets and original models, and collecting the parts to do it.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Letterboxing
HobbyFinding hidden boxes from written clues and stamping a personal logbook.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Lighthouse visiting
HobbyVisiting and recording lighthouses, which is a coastal walking hobby with a list attached.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Luggage label collecting
HobbyCollecting hotel and shipping line labels from the age of long-distance travel.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Map collecting
HobbyCollecting antique and historical maps, which is local history with a wall to hang it on.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Marble collecting
HobbyCollecting glass and clay marbles by maker and pattern, from handmade German canes to machine-made runs.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Matchbox label collecting
HobbyCollecting matchbox and matchbook labels, a large international field with almost no barrier to entry.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Medal collecting
HobbyCollecting campaign and gallantry medals, where researching the named recipient is the point.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Meteorite collecting
HobbyCollecting and identifying meteorites, a small field where authentication and provenance dominate.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Militaria collecting
HobbyCollecting military insignia, uniform, medals and equipment, with careful provenance.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Miniature book collecting
HobbyCollecting books under three inches tall, a category defined by its binding rather than its subject.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Model car collecting
HobbyCollecting production die-cast and resin models by marque, scale or maker rather than building them.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Mudlarking
HobbySearching tidal foreshore for historical objects, which requires a permit on the Thames.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Munro bagging
HobbySportWorking through the 282 Scottish mountains over 3,000 feet, which takes most people decades.
£300–£1,000 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Netsuke collecting
HobbyCollecting Japanese carved toggles, a field where attribution and later copies dominate the study.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Nixie clock building
CraftHobbyBuilding clocks around cold-cathode display tubes, which need a high-voltage supply to light at all.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Paperweight collecting
HobbyCollecting glass paperweights by factory and cane, where the canes identify the maker.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Peak bagging
HobbySportWorking through a defined list of summits — Munros, Wainwrights, county tops.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsVery demanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Perfume bottle collecting
HobbyCollecting scent bottles for their glass, atomisers and labels, from cut crystal to commercial flacons.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Pin badge collecting
HobbyCollecting enamel badges by theme — clubs, events, places or brands.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Plant pressing and herbaria
HobbyCraftPressing, mounting and labelling plants to a standard that keeps them useful for a century.
Under £25 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Postal history collecting
HobbyCollecting covers for their routes, rates and markings rather than the stamps stuck to them.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Postcard collecting
HobbyCollecting old postcards for their images, their messages, or their places.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Programme collecting
HobbyCollecting match, theatre and concert programmes, which are often the only record an event leaves.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Railway enthusiasm
HobbyRecording, photographing and following the railway network, of which number-taking is only the oldest part.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Railwayana collecting
HobbyCollecting signage, nameplates, lamps and paperwork from the railways, with a strong auction culture.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Retro console modding
HobbyCraftRepairing and modifying old games consoles — recapping, video output mods, region freeing.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Rock & mineral collecting
HobbyCollecting and identifying minerals and crystals, often self-found.
£25–£100 to startIndoors or outdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Scientific instrument collecting
HobbyCollecting microscopes, barometers, surveying and drawing instruments, usually still in working order.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sea glass collecting
HobbyBeachcombing for tumbled glass, with a grading culture and a strong identification literature.
Free or near-free to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Seed collecting
HobbyCollecting and exchanging heritage seed varieties, which is conservation as much as gardening.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Share certificate collecting
HobbyCollecting historic share and bond certificates for their engraving and the companies behind them.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sheet music collecting
HobbyCollecting printed music for its covers, its history and its performance record.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Shell collecting
HobbyIdentifying and cataloguing marine shells, an old natural-history discipline.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Ship spotting
HobbyLogging and photographing shipping, using coastal vantage points and vessel tracking.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Shortwave listening
HobbyListening for distant broadcast and utility stations, logging what you hear and collecting confirmations.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Slide rule collecting
HobbyCollecting slide rules and mechanical calculators, and learning to use them, which is half the point.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sneaker collecting
HobbyCollecting trainers for their design, releases and resale market.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sports memorabilia
HobbyCollecting programmes, shirts and ephemera around a club or a sport.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Stamp collecting
HobbyCollecting and studying postage stamps, postal history and the marks they carry.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Sticker album collecting
HobbyCompleting printed sticker albums by swapping duplicates, an entire economy built on scarcity.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Studio pottery collecting
HobbyCollecting twentieth-century and contemporary studio ceramics, identified largely by impressed seals.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Succulents & cacti
HobbyCollecting and propagating drought-adapted plants, indoors or under glass.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Teddy bear collecting
HobbyCollecting bears by maker and period, where eyes, seams and stuffing identify an age.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Telephone collecting
HobbyCollecting and reconnecting historic telephones, which mostly still work on a modern line with an adapter.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Thimble collecting
HobbyCollecting thimbles, a compact field with real craft history behind it.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Timetable collecting
HobbyCollecting transport timetables, a precise record of how places connected.
Under £25 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Toy soldier collecting
HobbyCollecting lead and plastic figures by maker and set, a field with its own auction houses.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Trade token collecting
HobbyCollecting the private tokens issued by traders when small change ran out, each tied to one shop.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Trading card collecting
HobbyCollecting and grading trading cards, from sports to modern card games.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Trading card games
HobbyCompetitive card games with constructed decks from a collectable card pool, played at organised events.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Tramway enthusiasm
HobbyFollowing tramways and light rail — surviving systems, closed routes and the museums that preserve them.
Under £25 to startOutdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Trig point bagging
HobbySportVisiting Ordnance Survey trig pillars, a walking hobby with a well-defined list.
£25–£100 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Trigpointing
HobbyFinding and logging Ordnance Survey triangulation pillars across the country.
Free or near-free to startOutdoorsModerate effort
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Typewriter collecting
HobbyCraftCollecting and restoring mechanical typewriters, which are repairable and increasingly used.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Video game collecting
HobbyCollecting games and hardware by console, region and completeness.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Vintage calculator collecting
HobbyCollecting early electronic calculators and pocket computers, most of which still run.
£25–£100 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Vintage camera collecting
HobbyCollecting and often restoring film cameras, and shooting with them.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Vintage clothing collecting
HobbyFinding, dating and caring for period garments, where textile knowledge decides what is worth buying.
£100–£300 to startIndoors or outdoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Vintage radio collecting
HobbyCraftCollecting and restoring valve radios, where the electrical restoration is the real hobby.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsGentle
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Vintage toy collecting
HobbyCollecting tinplate, clockwork and mid-century toys, where original boxes carry much of the value.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Vinyl record collecting
HobbyCollecting records — pressings, labels, conditions and the gear to play them.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Wainwright bagging
HobbySportWalking the 214 Lakeland fells of Wainwright’s guides, the most followed list in England.
£100–£300 to startOutdoorsDemanding
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Watch collecting
HobbyCollecting mechanical and quartz watches, and learning what is inside them.
Over £1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Watch modification
CraftAssembling and customising mechanical watches from parts.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Whisky collecting
HobbyCollecting bottlings by distillery, cask and release rather than opening them, which is a different hobby from tasting.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Whisky tasting
HobbyTasting and collecting whisky by region, cask and distillery.
£100–£300 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet
Wine cellaring
HobbyBuying and storing wine to age it, which is a stock-keeping and storage problem as much as a taste one.
£300–£1,000 to startIndoorsSedentary
In the catalogue, not written up yet